Welcome to planDisney Wendy, and thanks so much for your question! With your
Walt Disney World Resort vacation just around the corner, now is the perfect time to fine tune your plans and get everything organized in the My Disney Experience app. With so many exciting entertainment options across all four parks, it’s a great idea to plan ahead especially when it comes to shows and performances. I’d be happy to help you understand how and when those showtimes become available so you can make the most of your magical days!
You can manually add shows and entertainment plans to your
My Disney Experience app at any time, even well before your trip. However, there is a difference between adding reminders or plans for shows and actually booking experiences tied to entertainment, and that may be why you're running into confusion.
If you're looking to book an experience such as a fireworks dessert party, a dining package for Fantasmic!, or a reserved viewing area for a show, those are part of what Disney calls
Enchanting Extras. These experiences can typically be booked starting 60 days in advance. If you're staying at a Disney Resort, you can book for your entire length of stay (up to 10 days) beginning at that 60 day mark. These types of bookings are found through the “Enchanting Extras” section of the Disney World website or app and require an actual reservation.
If you're simply trying to add a show like Festival of the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, or fireworks like Happily Ever After to your itinerary in MDE, there isn’t a separate “booking” process. What you're doing is more of a personal planning step, adding a note or custom plan to your day to keep track of when and where the show is. You can do that anytime. However, Disney typically doesn’t post exact showtimes until about 30 to 45 days before your trip. In some cases, specific times might not appear until two or three weeks in advance, especially for seasonal shows or certain entertainment offerings.
That delay in publishing showtimes can be why you're currently unable to select specific shows or view times in the app.
I hope you find this information helpful, Wendy. Thank you again for visiting planDisney. We'll see ya real soon!
Kay