Ahoy there, John!
Welcome back to planDisney! Planning ahead for a holly-jolly sailing is my kind of quest—like opening a door in Monsters, Inc. and hoping it leads straight to
Very Merrytime magic. Let’s peer into our spyglass and see what we can predict.
Disney typically releases itineraries three times a year in seasonal waves: early-year (generally January–May), summer (roughly May–September), and fall (October–December). December sailings are usually part of that fall batch, which—based on past patterns—tends to be announced sometime in the summer of the prior year (could be anytime now!). Exact timing can shift (Captain Mickey sometimes changes course), but that’s the usual map I keep handy.
When booking opens, it generally rolls out by
Castaway Club status. The windows often span a few consecutive days, so it pays to have your Disney account updated,
your preferred stateroom categories in mind, and a “Plan A/Plan B” ready—think of it as your Mary Poppins carpetbag of options, practically perfect in every way.
A quick note on holiday demand: Very Merrytime cruises as a whole don’t usually vanish faster than Bruno at a family dinner—unless you’re eyeing peak dates like Thanksgiving or Christmas week. Those high-holiday sailings are more likely to book up quickly, so if that’s your dream, be ready to jump aboard the moment your window opens.
Pro tip from my own playbook: ahead of the announcement, sketch your wish list (ship, itinerary, stateroom type, and a flexible range of dates). That way, when Captain Mickey drops the anchor on new dates, you can book faster than Dash can sprint. Also, keep a weather eye on the Disney Cruise Line website and the
Disney Parks Blog—those are the first places I check when the winds shift toward new itineraries.
I hope this helps you chart a confident course for December 2026. Keep your ear to the conch shell for that release announcement, and you’ll be ready to pounce on your perfect sailing the moment booking opens. Until then, consider this your enchanted map—no pixie dust required.
Sea ya real soon as we ride the wave of summer’s final stretch in Disney style,
Dustin