How far in advance should you make Disney reservations?

You can make Disney World dining reservations for your trip starting 60 days in advance. (In the past, this window had been 180 days.) No matter what time of year you'll be visiting, we recommend making reservations as close as you can to the magical 60-day mark.



To ensure a successful 2026 Disney vacation, you should start booking in stages: hotel packages can often be booked 12 to 18 months in advance to secure the best rates and room types. The most critical window, however, opens 60 days before your arrival at 6:00 AM EST. This is when you can book highly sought-after dining reservations (like Cinderella’s Royal Table) and "Enchanting Extras" (like lightsaber building or spa treatments). If you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you can book for your entire stay (up to 10 days) at that 60-day mark, giving you a competitive edge over off-site guests. Furthermore, since the 2024–2025 updates to the Lightning Lane system, you should be prepared to make your initial ride selections via the app 7 days before your check-in if you are an on-site guest, or 3 days before for everyone else.

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Standard tickets for Disneyland Resort don't really sell out, however, theme park ticket reservations do fill up for dates. Theme park ticket reservations are needed along with a valid ticket for entrance to either of the Disneyland Resort parks.

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The 2024 Walt Disney World vacation packages and hotel rooms became available for booking beginning on May 31, 2023, with arrival dates starting on January 1, 2024.

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It's actually fairly unusual for Disney World tickets to be completely sold out. Even if a specific park's reservations are sold out, other parks are typically available. For example, Magic Kingdom reservations may be sold out, but Animal Kingdom may have reservations available.

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Because the number of park reservations is limited, they can occasionally run out. If you have found that the date you wish to visit no longer has reservations available, it's still worth checking the theme park reservation availability calendar often. You never know when other Guests may need to change their plans.

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You can only hold 3 park reservations at a time (unless you have a resort stay booked). It's recommended you book Disney's Hollywood Studios first, as this reservation goes the quickest.

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The Disneyland Resort did give a free park admission ticket to Guests on their birthday as part of a limited-time promotion several years ago, but this is not currently offered. Tickets to enter Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park must be purchased for all visitors ages 3 and up.

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Just like there are more expensive times, there are also times of the year when it is cheaper to go to Disney World. As a rule, January, February, August, and September are the cheapest seasons, as long as you avoid any holidays in those months.

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December is one of the busiest times of year for Disney World, and, as such, sees the highest average ticket prices. The most expensive day to visit Disney World at the end of the year is, again, not a surprise, the period of time right before Christmas until New Year's Eve.

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You now can only park hop AFTER 2PM. So you'll have to wait until well after lunchtime if you're planning on visiting another park. However, this rule is different for Annual Passholders.

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Going to Walt Disney World in Florida or Disneyland in California without a park reservation sets the stage for disappointment. That's because neither park tickets nor annual passes alone will get guests inside. Both resorts began requiring park reservations during the pandemic.

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At approximately 6:00 AM daily, new reservation booking windows become available for select Walt Disney World restaurants.

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At approximately 6:00 AM daily, new reservation booking windows become available for select Walt Disney World restaurants.

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Back in 2023, Disney announced during Star Wars Celebration that there would be more stories and characters and all new adventures coming to Star Tours in 2024. And now we know at least one of those new stories and characters will be Ahsoka, as seen in the new Disney+ series bearing the same name.

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It's worth mentioning that children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by a Guest 14 years or older to board an attraction. Children under the age of 3 are considered Guests of Mickey and do not require a theme park ticket.

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