How ya going, Kerry it's great to see our Australian pals here at planDisney!
As a former Victorian resident myself, I can definitely relate to the feeling of having to account for the time difference when making reservations for Disney Experiences from overseas! (My husband and I recently completed our goal of visiting
all of the Disney Parks around the world in a year which involved a staggering amount of planning and waiting around online at wild hours of the day.)
- While many folks may be accustomed to being ready to book "no earlier than 6:00 A.M." Eastern Time, I find that in my personal experience it's worth checking starting as early as midnight, or 12:00 A.M. EST (currently 3:00 P.M. AEDT/Australian Eastern Daylight Time) and practising in the days leading up to your desired date just so that you can get used to the booking flow and know what to expect.
- In fact, as I write to you just after midnight, I can already see several slots available to book online for Disney's Keys to the Kingdom Tour; even in the time spent completing this answer one of the slots has now become fully booked! I personally find that checking earlier and being prepared can make a huge difference for some of the more highly-desired experiences, especially during the most competitive and popular times of the year - like the week when you'll be arriving!
- Since prices for this offering do currently vary - and you may have noticed a bump during major popular seasonal events - I would personally aim to book this toward the end of your stay for the week following New Year's Eve as the holiday crowds start to thin into January. (At least, until thousands descend upon Walt Disney World Resort once more en masse for Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend!)
A lot of my Australian friends do say they may find it easier to use the services of a travel agent when making these advance bookings (especially when the
Australian version of the Walt Disney World Resort website in my opinion, can feel like Alice Springs compared to Melbourne when accessing the American version) - so this might be something very helpful in case you're unable to do this from home!
Be sure to check out some of the
strategic planning tips I recently shared for a fellow guest visiting during the incredibly hectic holiday week leading up to New Year's Eve and be sure to pack quite a bit of patience for your theme park experiences at the beginning of your trip. That said Kerry, if you're anything like the Australians I know and love, you ought to be able to tough it out through the crowds and have the very best holiday here with all of the Disney celebrations you'll never forget!
Wishing you all the best as you spend two weeks starting off the year in style!
Prince