Hi there, Gary!
Thanks so much for stopping by to see us here at planDisney!
Gary, you absolutely have the right idea planning as far in advance as possible. In fact, as a veteran Disney travel planner, I do the exact same thing. As soon as I know when our school break will be, I start planning our vacations.
My advice to you would be to go ahead and purchase a vacation package for your dates. By booking as far out as possible, you will have the most availability for your
Disney hotel of choice. You can also book your vacation package for as little as $200 down with the balance due 30-days before check-in. Please note that terms and conditions are subject to change, so schedule the fine print when you book.
Gary, the truly magical thing about booking a vacation package is that if any
special offers are released down the line, you can apply them to your vacation package!
Once things like
theme park hours and
special events are released, you can even shift your reservation a bit to make sure you do not miss a minute of the magic, pending availability of course.
I hope that this helped! Please come back here if we can help answer any questions to make your trip practically perfect in every way.
Happy planning!
Sarah B.