2021 Disney World Vacation Packages Now Available
2021 Walt Disney World vacation packages are now available for booking over the phone, via travel agents, and on the official site. In a normal year, we spend significant time combing DisneyWorld.com to compare room prices for next year to this year’s rack rates…but this year is anything but normal. (In case you somehow weren’t aware of that!)
For one thing, 2020 Walt Disney World vacation packages, hotels, and tickets still not available to book right now. (We have saved rate charts, so that alone wouldn’t be prohibitive.) More importantly, I’m having no success getting past the “We’re Almost in Orbit” screen after inputting dates on DisneyWorld.com.
The wounds of dealing with this whole infuriating process only two days ago with Disney Park Pass are still fresh, so I’m saying “screw it” for now. It’s not like anything is selling out today. I’ll be back with a pricing analysis…at some point. Maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe a month. Honestly, I don’t think today’s prices have much basis in ultimate reality anyway, as steep discounts will be necessary in the future to entice people to visit Walt Disney World in 2021…
Instead, let’s just quickly run through the basis, followed by brief commentary. Vacation packages are valid for arrivals beginning January 1, 2021 and with checkout dates before September 27, 2021. Normal terms and conditions for final payments, cancelations, and change fees will apply for all 2021 Walt Disney World vacation package bookings.
At present, 2021 Walt Disney World package bookings are available for the following resorts:
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas — Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas — Kidani Village
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
This means that the following resorts are not available for booking:
- Disney’s All Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Note that it might appear that Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House appears on both lists. However, the first entry is the villas, whereas the second is the regular hotel rooms.
It’s also worth pointing out that this list simply mirrors our Walt Disney World Hotel Reopening Dates, which only encompasses the properties opening between now and October 14, 2020.
The remaining resorts will go online as demand dictates. In other words, we are not expecting all of these resorts to remain closed through September 2021. Rather, it’s likely that Walt Disney World simply isn’t offering reservations yet because their status as of January 1, 2021 remains uncertain.
Booking a 2021 Walt Disney World vacation package does not guarantee theme park availability. Check the Disney Park Pass Availability Calendar before purchasing tickets, and make your theme park reservations immediately after linking your 2021 vacation package in the My Disney Experience app.
Additionally, the Disney Dining Plan remains unavailable at this time. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks also still do not have reopening dates set as of this point.
As a reminder, next year Walt Disney World will unveil a new offering as part of the My Disney Experience app that will bring features of a MagicBand to your smart phone, building on the app’s existing digital key feature.
With these new features on the way, Walt Disney World will be retiring complimentary MagicBand distribution to hotel guests for new reservations with arrivals beginning January 1, 2021. (MagicBands will still be available to purchase at a discount, via the MagicBand Upgrade Program.)
Guests who prefer not to purchase a discounted MagicBand will be able to use the My Disney Experience app or a Key to the World card during their visit for all of the same features (minus wearability).
Walt Disney World will still offer MagicBands in retail locations and on shopDisney.com, and guests will be able to continue using the wearables throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
Normally, our advice is to book Walt Disney World vacation packages when they go on sale to lock-in ticket and component pricing as a safeguard against the inevitable price increases. That’s normally especially true if there’s a certain hotel or room type that’s a must-have for your trip. This year, our perspective is: honestly, why bother?
There are still too many unknowns regarding the 2021 Walt Disney World experience at this point. What’s the status of the Disney Dining Plan? What about theme park reservations? What will health safety policies look like next year? What about entertainment? It’s likely whatever you book today will have to be modified or rebooked down the road–and ask anyone who has been through that process the last few months how “fun” that was.
Right now, Walt Disney World is treating September 27, 2021 as the date when everything conceivably goes back to normal. This date is not insignificant–it’s the Monday when guests arriving for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary (on October 1, 2021) are most likely to check-in.
However, it’s still an arbitrary date. Walt Disney World isn’t just going to flip a switch on that day–removing restrictions, reservations, etc. and adding the Disney Dining Plan, FastPass, etc–and go back to normal. It’s going to be an ongoing process that could begin well before then and/or continue after that date. At this point, we don’t know what next month looks like, let alone September 2021.
Quite simply, that September 2021 date was chosen because it’s a sensible goal that also “kicks the can” far enough into the future. There’s nothing to stop Walt Disney World from reintroducing the Disney Dining Plan on February 7, 2021 (random, made-up date) or never bringing it back at all. Same goes for anything else. (We still don’t have a date for water parks, but have credible reason to believe one will be reopening this year.)
Given all of that, and our strong belief that the likelihood of greater discounts outweighs the probability of larger price increases, our advice is to take a wait and see approach. Save yourself the hassle and headache now, and don’t do anything. That is, unless you’re traveling very early in the year, having the vacation booked will make you happy, or give you something tangible to look forward to. (Can’t fault you there, either!)
The biggest ‘selling point’ of booking right now is securing Disney Park Pass reservations. Don’t let that spook you into acting prematurely. For one thing, none of those dates are filling up anytime soon (the only date next year that might, October 1, 2021 at Magic Kingdom, isn’t even available yet).
For another thing, Walt Disney World’s goal is to gradually increase park capacity and eliminate the reservation system entirely. In other words, limits set today for next year are not in any way accurate. More availability will open over time, or Disney Park Pass will be but a distant memory.
Ultimately, that’s where we stand on booking 2021 Walt Disney World vacation packages right now. It’s usually interesting and instructive to see pricing and other details as they offer a window into Disney’s view of the following year, but that’s simply not the case today. As we’ve stressed repeatedly, right now is a temporary abnormal and *not* a new normal. That goes for Walt Disney World vacation packages, too. What you’re locking in today will almost certainly change in pretty substantial ways. We are banking on it, and so should you!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you already booked a 2021 Walt Disney World vacation package? Notice anything interesting about hotel room or package prices? Anything surprise you? Will you be booking soon, or taking our recommended wait and see approach? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments here? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I didn’t do anything in any hurry, but I just went to the site to see what would happen. I started out in my standard Safari and then remembered Chrome worked much better on Monday. It probably took 25-30 minutes for my computer to get through. I booked a trip for the normal week we go in September. We actually have that week booked this year too, but are pretty sure we are going to cancel (I did get park reservations in case we decide to keep it). The first time through it tried to take off my tickets and do a room only, but I just went back and added the tickets again and it worked. Once I got the confirmation I made park reservations for that trip as well. I honestly don’t think we will need them as our departure date is September 24th. It let me purchase park hopper tickets and I figure park hopping will definitely be back by then. I do expect to have to modify this reservation as I will be watching for discounts. We honestly never go without some kind of discount and that’s another reason we are seriously thinking of canceling this year’s trip. I just wanted to have it on the books and I didn’t mind paying the deposit. I won’t be paying any more toward the trip until there is more certainty about what we’re looking at for next year. All that to say, it wasn’t particularly stressful or hard, but the resort we want is bookable so there weren’t really any problems to run into. I will be glad when we get back to the point of just being able to do what we want to our reservations without all the hassle.
Heather – Where exactly did you go to get the tickets? We have hotel reservations but need tickets and can’t seem to find a place to purchase them in my Disney experience. Thanks!
Do you think that things might be back to somewhat normal by September 2022? My sister and I are planning on booking a trip during that time and would like to take advantage of the free dining plan. We were gonna go last September, but decided to wait until my niece was 4, which will happen in 2022. We are patiently awaiting the day when we can finally book. Your blog has been very helpful.
My hope is that things will be back to a semblance of normal before September 2021, so I really hope they’re back a full year after that.
However, I don’t have credible insight into next month, let alone next year.
Well, I got through after sitting in orbit for about 20 minutes. Except now nothing is showing as available. Womp womp. I’ll try again later. It’s for my 30th birthday next year (end of November/first few days of December) but really no rush. As you said hotels will still be there. I wish Disney IT would get it together.
Reservations are only available Jan 1 2021 through Sept. 27 2021 right now. Therefore, November/December 2020 and 2021 are still unavailable.
Hey unfortunately those dates are not able to be booked yet. Just letting you know so you dont spend too much time looking.
Ahhh, thank you both! I thought they were open for the year since it was letting me search those dates.
My wife and I are spending a few days this week in DVCs Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge. What an erie feeling! The parking lot has maybe 50 cars and that estimate is probably on the high side. When we walk thru the lobby, the employees outnumber the guests.
We get the feeling that many of the employees are new here and at Disney Springs where we’ve seen groups of trainees being led around. When we drove thru the gate for the first time to check in, I could see the attendant trying to make out the car I was driving. He finally asked and with no mask, I said Tesla. He then said, “no, I need to know the make of your car” and my wife called out, the car’s a Tesla. He seemed embarrassed and apologized. New?
Speaking of masks or face coverings, as they call them, are required everywhere. So a few days ago, my wife called to find out if the clear plastic shield is an acceptable face covering and was told yes. We were stopped from entering the Springs until we put on masks which they happily provided. We protested but lost that battle. She checked with her superiors and the answer was no. This morning i needed to go to the car. I was stopped in the lobby and asked if i had the other kind of mask. I told her what we were told and she allowed me to continue.
We ate at the Boathouse and at first they seemed to follow the 6 ft rule but toward the end of our dinner they had 3 larger groups sitting back to back where the server had to squeeze by. Luckily our table had plenty of room along the windows.
It’s no trouble getting dining reservations if the restaurant is open. We were looking to eat in one of the other resorts only to find some of our choices closed.
There’s NO traffic! It just feels really strange. So if you are in the mood for a change of scenery, now’s the time to enjoy the resorts, even if the parks are not open. Everything’s so clean. They even had attendants at both ends of the escalators wiping down the rubber hand rails as we went by.
So I think we will do what we normally do – select a week and make a room only reservation (we are annual Passholders). Then keep watching for discounts. Always willing to modify or cancel but I like to at least have something out there.
following
Hi Tom,
First, thank you for all your information.
I live in Spain and share your frustration, as I am still not able to book for 2021.
When I try to phone ,it just leaves an automated reply—Whats happened to the great service I used to get from WDW.
I have e-mailed WDW International, but just get the standard reply, “We are very busy”
Hope things get better, if any one can help me get reservations, I would be gratefull.
Regards,
Geoff Buxton.
I took a look at the available resorts for 2021 bookings and was surprised to find value resorts at more than double the normal price. In fact, if you were to book with those prices, then you might as well book a moderate. Also surprised that the majority of resorts were the deluxe and villas, but also not fully surprised since they are the most expensive. I’m hoping things will improve by next year.
Hi, Tom, I tried around 9:00 am with Chrome and IE on my laptop and Safari on my iPhone. Within 10-15 minutes I was in on my phone. By the time I finished checking a few weeks and different resorts, I assumed I’d be in on the laptop, but I never did connect that way.
I booked two packages for 2021. After having to cancel both my trips this year, I NEEDED something to look forward to. We have been going every April for close to a decade, and it crushed me to be stuck in quarantine and have the trip cancelled. So sad that I won’t be there in 2020, but my family’s health needed to come first. These trips are some of the ONLY things I have to look forward to at the moment. Praying for a vaccine and two fantastic weeks in 2021!!
A little over a month ago we locked in a weeklong stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first week of September 2021. The goal was to be there for the anniversary celebrations without actually being there in October. I’m seeing some guidance that says the year long celebration won’t actually kick off until October. Any thoughts on this? My husband and I wouldn’t mind being in Magic Kingdom for the anniversary itself to soak it in, but we will have our niece and nephew with us ( 6 & 11) who will probably not enjoy the park being that crowded.
Thank you so much! I actually went online earlier and was able to get past the waiting in orbit after about 25 minutes! I didn’t book but did check availability and pricing. As always, I love reading your posts! Thank you for all you guys do!
My wife & I have our 1 vacation annually, as DVC members, we always spend it in Walt Disney World and this year we both managed to get Christmas off work and had booked for our first Christmas Day in Disney World, but due to the Border Closures we may not get into USA.
I know this is not really your area, but has there been any news about when international travellers may get into the USA, there has been nothing changed that I can find online or in the news, or should we just cancel our Christmas Vacation to be safe?
Thanks in advance to any help you might be able to give
Here’s our info about current quarantines and some thoughts on those: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/quarantine-rules-travelers-disney-world/
Tom, as always, your the best! As a matter of fact, you are currently the ONLY Disney source I am reading!!!
Circuits have been busy for 2 days.. lets fix this
Thanks for the updates, Tom! I would hope for very significant discounts, because the list of available resorts excludes a lot of the more affordable accommodations. My next family trip was going to include my youngest siblings and their spouses. We had planned on booking a couple of the recently renovated All Star Family suites, as the price was right for everyone in the group. Without rates in the All Star range, that trip will have to push to 2022.
Thank you for bringing some sanity to all of this craziness! Any news yet about “Room Only” reservations? We have some for Nov. 2020 but are waiting for approved sites for discounted ticket rates so we can link them and make Park Reservations. Will that still be an option? Also, we want to book Room Only reservations for 2021. Any idea about the release of hotel rooms with that option? Thank you.
How did you get the tickets into your shopping cart? Were you able to do that this morning?
I did it right away at 8 and I was able to. The system went down after that.
“so I’m saying “screw it” for now. It’s not like anything is selling out today.”
I appreciate that. After putting myself through misery to get park passes on drop day, I wish I would have had the same attitude. The thought of not getting park days for our existing reservation (as irrational as it was) won out. Should have known you were right and to just sit on it.
Thanks for the continued coverage!
Thank you Tom for this info. I still cannot book park days and I am so frustrated it sounds good not to bother with rebooking for 2021. This has been a horrible experience for me, I only have an iPhone and it doesn’t work. I have waited on the phone for hours for no reason, IT never answered. I am done!
I was able to get on right away and finish booking my January 2021 trip. Got 5 nights at AoA starting Jan 7th. I was also able to book 5 park days with very little issues. I forgot to update the age of my child, so I had to redo my whole reservation, but still didn’t take me long. Good luck to everyone else trying to book!
In my shopping cart I have a 7 day park hopper ticket with a garden view at yacht club for late March 2021. The grand total is 9,801.04. My husband told me I’m insane and now we’ve booked a trip at a resort in another state. I’m going to hope at some point in the next two years we can get back to Disney at a realistic price when all of the unknowns you listed above are known.
I have friends who have a commitment to go to WDW next June 2021. They have to select vacations far in advance so the dates are firm. They also have a resort that they love and want to all book rooms in. I’m encouraging them to book now mostly to guarantee the room category they like in the hotel they love. Only downside I can see is making a $200 deposit. But if discounts are announced they can still benefit and apply deposit. Am I steering them wrong in encouraging them to reserve now Tom?