2022 Disney World Vacation Packages Out–With Big Exceptions
2022 Walt Disney World vacation packages and hotel reservations are now available for booking through July 1, 2022, with pricing out through December 31, 2022. In this post, we’ll take a look at some details, price increase analysis, what to expect, and what’s not back…yet.
Before we get started, a couple of reminders about the status quo and changes coming in advance of 2022. First, Walt Disney World is ending Magical Express in 2022 and starting Early Theme Park Entry. Disney’s Magical Express is the free service for airport transportation starting, the end of which Walt Disney World attributes this to the expansion of options for guests, including the rise of Uber and Lyft.
Early Theme Park entry is a new perk that will allow Walt Disney World resort guests to enter any of the four theme parks 30 minutes early each day. This is the permanent replacement for Extra Magic Hours and although it doesn’t have an official start date, Disney has indicated it’ll arrive before the start of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration on October 1, 2021.
There are a couple of other known changes that should debut prior to January 2022. Although no new details have been revealed since last summer, Walt Disney World has announced a “new offering” that will bring features of a MagicBand to your smart phone. This could be part of the My Disney Experience app, or it could be the Disney Genie standalone app that was previously promised to debut late last year.
As a quick refresher, Walt Disney World announced the new app features because it retired complimentary MagicBands for guests booking hotel reservations. (Worth the reminder since this will remain true for 2022, and you might’ve missed it.) MagicBands will still be available to purchase at a discount, via the MagicBand Upgrade Program, which now has 50+ designs, including the anniversary “Castle Cake” and various color trends, starting at $5 each.
Additionally, Park Hopping is back at Walt Disney World. This is also as of 2021. Annual Passholders and guests who buy Park Hopper tickets can now visit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and/or Animal Kingdom all in the same day.
At present, Park Hopping does not begin until 2 pm each day. Walt Disney World has noted that this is subject to change, and our expectation is that some parks might soon allow Park Hopping earlier in the day (not later). We’re hopeful that by 2022, Park Hopping is entirely back to normal, but that really depends upon Disney Park Pass and attendance caps.
Turning to 2022 Walt Disney World vacation packages, let’s just quickly run through the basics, followed by brief commentary. Bookings are available for arrivals beginning January 1, 2022 and running through July 1, 2022. Normal terms and conditions for final payments, cancelations, and change fees will apply for all 2022 Walt Disney World vacation package bookings.
At present, 2022 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 All Star Movies Resort
- 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 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
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
This means that the following resorts are not available for booking:
- Disney’s All Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside
Note that it might appear that Jambo House appears on both lists. However, the first entry is the Animal Kingdom Villas, whereas the second is the regular hotel rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Confusing since they’re in the exact same building, but that’s how Walt Disney World has been doing it for the last year.
The remaining resorts will go online as demand dictates. In other words, we are not expecting all of these resorts to remain closed through December 2022. Rather, it’s likely that Walt Disney World simply isn’t offering reservations yet because their status as of January 1, 2022 remains uncertain. The very same thing happened this year, so don’t fret too much. We’re expecting almost all of the currently-closed resorts to reopen by mid-2022.
Turning to the rundown of what’s not available yet, the Disney Dining Plan still isn’t back for 2022 Walt Disney World vacation package bookings. This might raise red flags for some of you, but it’s probably more a matter of uncertainty about when it can be brought back in light of physical distancing and capacity caps.
As we explain in our When Will the Disney Dining Plan Return? post, we do not expect that offering to be gone forever—and certainly not through the end of December 2022. That post breaks down what needs to happen for the DDP to come back, why Walt Disney World wants it back ASAP, and when that’ll probably occur. Our guess is still this year.
Next up, FastPass+ or virtual queues. Even before the parks reopened, we predicted that FastPass+ won’t be back, and instead will be replaced by a different form of virtual queue—likely something like MaxPass that can be given to on-site guests as a perk, along with an up-charge component. This is covered in What Will Replace FastPass+ at Walt Disney World?
I’m less confident in that prediction than I was at the time it was made. Walt Disney World is trying to juggle a lot right now, and investing in new tech infrastructure seems increasingly unlikely. I’d give it a 50/50 shot at this point, with equal likelihood that Disney will just restore FastPass+ once physical distancing requirements are relaxed. That could still occur in late 2021, but 2022 seems more likely.
Finally, there’s the thing guests would like to go away but Disney would like to keep around. Along with the new dates for booking resort hotels, Walt Disney World has also quietly extended the Disney Park Pass reservation calendar through January 14, 2023. (It previously ended exactly one year earlier.)
The park reservations aid Disney with staffing, other resource allocation, and crowd distribution. However, guests do not like having to make these reservations. We break down this tension in When Will the Disney Park Pass Reservation System End?
Honestly, we wouldn’t read anything into any of these ‘temporarily unavailable’ things or the extension of Disney Park Pass into 2023. With the 2022 package release, it’s as if Walt Disney World’s reservations center wanted to drum up business and start accepting new bookings, and rather than trying to prognosticate how things would change come 2022, they froze options at today’s status quo.
We already know this doesn’t comport with Disney’s internal goals or expectations. In last week’s earnings call, CEO Bob Chapek was questioned about how Walt Disney World could increase attendance and profitability. He called vaccinations a “game-changer” and predicted that things would be very different in terms of current practices by 2022.
Accordingly, we wouldn’t treat any of these 2022 Walt Disney World vacation package details as indicative of what’s on the horizon. Basically, the only thing they offer is a glimpse at changes in rack rates at the hotels.
Speaking of which, one of this blog’s pastimes things on Walt Disney World vacation package reservation “drop day” is price analysis of rack rates. I’ve only had a chance to take a cursory look at this, but it looks like there are modest across the board increases. Per usual.
Above is the rate chart at Disney’s Pop Century Resort for November and December 2021. Below is the same thing, for November and December 2022.
If you haven’t paid rack rates in a while, those prices all might be startling. Once you get past the initial shock, that’s a pretty insignificant increase as compared to normal years.
Most nights are increasing by $5 to $10. You’d still have to be crazy to pay $200+ per night for a motel room—even at Pop Century—but it’s good to see the increases slowing.
Above is the same thing this year for Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, our Moderate of choice thanks to the Disney Skyliner gondola service.
Below is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort for November and December 2022:
Pretty much the same story for Caribbean Beach.
We’ll spot check other hotels once we have time, but our expectation is to find similar results. Nothing major will be added amenity-wise (like an aerial transportation system) between this year and 2022 to justify dramatic spikes anywhere.
As a quick aside since it’s a common question, you can find the rate calendar by searching for availability on DisneyWorld.com. Select “room only” (rather than a vacation package or discounted rate) on the far left, then click the “Rate Details” button on the resort/room combination that interests you. (See above.)
From there you’ll see a weekly breakdown. For the calendar view, click “View Rate Calendar.” (See below.) Hope that helps!
As always, this pricing analysis ends up being rendered somewhat meaningless since few readers of blogs like this one end up paying rack rates. You’re savvy, and between discounts that are released throughout the year and money-saving hacks, “sticker price” is less relevant.
There’s also the unanswered question of the travel recovery. Will we see the phenomenon of “Revenge Travel” at Walt Disney World and excitement for the 50th Anniversary or will bookings be depressed in 2022? It’s entirely possible that the answer is both. The market for leisure travel is already shaping up to be hot, but conventions and events will be slower to return or lost entirely.
In one specifically big blow, Walt Disney World already lost Pop Warner. That’s bad news for the company, but good news for consumers and the prospect of discounting to entice more tourists to visit. There’s also the reality that Walt Disney World still has several resorts that remain closed entirely due to lack of demand, and occupancy rates are not so hot at several of the hotels that are operating.
Accordingly, the true test is going to be in terms of what discounts end up being released. If bookings are down because of the lingering effects of a recession, travel fears, and who knows what else, these rack rates could end up being like Kohl’s sticker prices. That’s to say, totally meaningless, as discounts are so ubiquitous that no one is paying full price.
Although it doesn’t directly answer those questions, it is interesting to note that 2022 Walt Disney World vacation packages are being released in February 2021, rather than in the summer.
Reservations may not be made more than 500 days in advance, which is why vacation packages for the following year are normally released between June or July–so they encompass the entire following year. (To my recollection, packages have been released in either of those two months every year for the past decade.) That same rule is also why you’re only able to book arrival dates through the beginning of July 2022 right now. Since pricing for the entirety of 2022 has been posted, expect more travel dates to gradually open.
As with most Walt Disney World “drop days,” the phone lines will be jammed and the online system will likely slow to a crawl at peak times, with Stitch eating the occasional page here and there. Hopefully you received our email heads up at ~7:30 am and were able to book things smoothly before the mad rush. (If not, you can always subscribe for free future notifications here.)
If you’re at all flexible about your resort choice or room preferences, consider waiting until later this evening when things calm down a bit. You might save yourself some headache and frustration. Alternatively, it’s always a good idea to use a fee-free Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (travel agent) to do the work for you.
That’s pretty much all of the commentary we have about Walt Disney World’s release of hotel reservations through early July 2022 and pricing through December 2022. Even with all of the above said, 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 especially true if there’s a certain hotel or room type that’s a must-have for your trip.
While we remain of the belief that prices will drop thanks to the release of discounts, that’s not a sure thing. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the course of the last year, it’s to expect the unexpected. As you can see from the previous several paragraphs, there are still a ton of unknowns, fluidity, etc. to the Walt Disney World experience both this year and in 2022. A ton is changing on a weekly basis, and it’s truly impossible to say today what things will look like in Fall 2021 and beyond. From a financial perspective, it never hurts–only helps–to get something locked in now. Plus, there’s the excitement and optimism of having something to look forward to. After a tough year, I think we could all use a little of that!
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 booked a 2022 Walt Disney World vacation package? Notice anything interesting about hotel room or package prices? Anything surprise you? Is there anything you must have–FastPass+, Disney Dining Plan, nighttime spectaculars, rules rescinded–before you’ll book a 2022 trip? Will you be booking soon, or taking a 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!
Planning a Trip October 2022…..Do you think free dining will come out for this time period? I know in the past October has not bee a free dining plan month? Also when can we expect to see discounts on rooms?
Would definitely love to have the dining plan back. It saved on food the last time we went. We went in February and the cost of food was outrageous!! Also fast passes. They can space people out with the lines on the ground like they do for all the rides now. And definitely change park hopper hours. Going at 2 wasnt the best idea some of the parks closed 3 hrs later so it wasn’t worth it. Just my opinion
Kimberly Voskeritchian: If you are looking to do a DVC rental, there are not a lot of less busy times for DVC. You’ll want to make that rental at least 11 months out to make sure can get it. Especially since there are so many members with loads of points to use and they will be booking as soon as they can. If the dining plan is offered, you should be able to purchase the plan based on past experience. The plan costs pretty much the same for DVC bookings as for regular cash bookings. But Disney could change it all if they want to.
Tom, what would be your choices for a time to go in 2022 ? Also if you rent a DVC villa from the rental site are you able to pick up the dining package if it comes out?
Well it looks like we will be priced out of going in December 2022.
I’m planning a trip in January 2022! When will deals come available for that time, such as 20% off or such?
Can’t wait to hear more about Disney
We have booked for May 2022 on property but if they do not have FP back to normal, no PHopper back to normal, have no dining plan, no magical express and only 30 min early entry, it may not happen. What we will also be looking for is the park hours to be extended and the fireworks to come back. IF that does not happen, likely neither will our 2022 trip-or maybe we will chose the Park down the road……….
Booked a besties trip in Feb. 2022. My a friends haven’t ever been so in a lot of ways they won’t know what they are missing. With that being said and understanding of what’s going on within Disney there are a couple of things that make me a tidge sad. Firstly, no transportation from airport to resort. While this isn’t huge, I always felt it was so awesome and a part of the vacay to have this service! Also the resort pricing was a little shocking especially since right now in the same month they have some good deals. I’m hoping there will be something when we go to save a little more. I’m also sad abt fast passes as I always felt like it was a huge advantage and excitement planning for them. I’d like to see something if not that brought back. Lastly, I understand having to have park reservations but fe this limits a lot. Especially if you scheduled a park, and then can’t get on to another but you have park hopper passes, and the 2pm thing to hop…. all in all we’re all very excited and they don’t know really as I’ve said but I do. I’m hoping there is more “normalcy” in 2022!!!
Staying in a WDW resort gets me in the park 30 mins earlier. That 30 mins will be spent staring at my phone trying to get spots in the virtual cues for the most popular rides/attractions.
Tom, care to take a guess at when annual passes might return? Do you foresee WDW switching things up like Disneyland?
I’d love to know, we weren’t AP holders when it shut down and looking to buy 4!
Wow, I laughed out loud at the Kohl’s reference. So true!
My husband and I are anxiously waiting for Club Level rooms to become available. Has anyone heard anything regarding their return?
i was able to book CL at Beach Club when 22 dates came out (has to switch our Nov/21 to March/22). I figured it was a mistake seeing it wasn’t offered at any other location. I was right. Got a call the next day saying i could keep it but just FYI i could possible not get it when the time comes. Fingers crossed though it returns by then.
I’m just a nobody, Disney World fan, with an insignificant opinion, but I just can not see the big benefits of staying on property for anyone who is budget conscious. It has always been my dream to stay on property, but with a large family, I have never been able to afford it. This next year was going to be it! I have been saving up, but with no dining plan, so fast passes, and soon no Magical Express, I can’t justify the extra cost. I would still pay for parking if I were in a Disney resort, so why not just stay off site and drive in? I will save significantly…I’m honestly disappointed, as I hoped for the “magic” of staying on site, but with increased cost and decreased benefits, it’s a no brainer. I will still visit and have a lovely time, but may never get to fulfill that dream of staying on property:(
We felt the same way until we discovered camping. If you don’t own a camper, did you know you can rent one and they will have it ready on site for you. This will save you so much money in hotel cost and food. Plus the campsites are amazing.
I always opted for the “magic” of staying on property but it’s become so cost prohibited. I’ve been going since 1996 but can see my next property offsite. There are so many beautiful homes available for rent with a pool! And they are very affordable. I can see having my own pool to swim in could offset that magic of Disney….:)
Well I just drove into MK few days ago and they are not letting you park in the parking lots of the parks till a time that you will never make rope drop which is a huge departure from the past! I got to the entrance of MK at 7:45 and had to wait 30 min before they let me threw the toll booths to get in!! I parked on the first row at TTC and still by the time I got to MK park it was already open and 7 dwarf mine train had 85 min wait.
In my opinion Disney is turning the table against anyone offsite and will make it more and more of a disadvantage as they are doing with the reservation system that has dates out till 2023. Its a difference for availability if your onsite compared to offsite and I can see it getting worse down the road as more Disney hotels open and they give them all priority for reservations to get into parks over offsite guests!
Sure, David, you pay the premium and you get to enter the park before all the “cheapskates” who stayed offsite or who just live nearby. /s/
Well considering I stay onsite it’s a pain. I drive to the parks even though I stay on property. I go very early for rope drop then leave and come back in the evening.
I would love to see my happy place back to normal but as a long time visitor from the U.K. who usually stays on property, Without FP+ and EMH and the addition of on-site parking charges I can’t see there’s a great benefit to it anymore. 2021 was our year to return but we will have to defer by at least a year, even longer if nighttime fireworks and entertainments don’t return.
What are the anticipated crowds for March/April 2021? What do you think will be the slowest week for crowds in these 2 months?
We are going to WDW in June 2021, when do you recommend that we purchase park tickets? Just 2 of us, not interested in park hopper as a side note. 4 days at the parks. Thanks so much. Just arrived at your blog and trying to absorb all of the information as best I can.
We have always used the Magic Express, do you think it will be replaced as wondering how we can get from the airport to hotel. We don’t like to hire a car and will have about 5/6 suitcases
We just used mears taxi (large van) last week from art of animation to Orlando airport, 5 adults 1 child, 6 large suitcases, 3 carryons and each had a backpack it was $58 including a nice tip.
Coming from the UK we were able to book for August 2022, this was early as in the past it’s been normal for dates to drop March/April. We did have August 2021 booked but it doesn’t look promising. We are keeping fingers crossed that the Dining Plan begins again before then.
Love the input! Any ideas on when Summer 2021 room only (since we have tickets left from last year) discounts will be released? Only offered thru July 10 as of now. I am hoping they extend that soon!
B
I am hoping to see something extended into September. Package price right now is just too high for me. 2 extra park ticket days doesn’t really save a lot.
With the removal of the Magical Express and the whacked out FP, and no Dining package and the wearing of those hot dreadful face masks, It makes me think that I won’t be going back to WDW until 2023!
I have been an AP for years and would visit the parks at least 5 times a year. I live in Kentucky.
I realize that Disney is doing it’s best to survive but it has become a fiasco.
I really thought that we would be planning a trip in 2022, but now I’m thinking 2023.
What a mess!