Hi Louise! We are so happy you stopped by planDisney with your question. I see we have a fellow planner at heart in you. It's never too early to start mapping out those trips to the Happiest Place on Earth in my book!
It sounds like you might be looking to book a
Disneyland Resort Vacation Package, which is such a great way to experience the parks! Packages include both theme park admission and a hotel stay at either a Disneyland Resort Hotel or a
Good Neighbor Hotel. Typically, vacation packages will become available in the late summer of the year prior, so you are smart to have your EARs peeled for news. I recommend following along with the Disney Parks Blog and the @DISNEYLAND Instagram accounts for breaking news. At that point, you'll be able to book your package and start your countdown to the magic!
I'd love to share a few tips once that vacation package is on the books! You will see your package details in your account if you purchased it through the
Disneyland website. If not, you can add it to your Disneyland account by logging into the website and heading to the "My Disneyland" tab. In the drop-down menu select "
My Hotel Reservations" where you can add in the reservation number, your last name, and your arrival date. Since your theme park tickets won't drop into your account until 4 days before arrival, this is an important step in the process to ensure that the system recognizes you have tickets that will allow you to make
theme park reservations. As part of the return to the magic, all Guests must have a ticket and a reservation to enter the parks. Reservations help Sleeping Beauty to know how many Guests to expect that day! While the reservation will be attached to your ticket, it can be canceled and rescheduled if need be while the ticket remains active. They are limited and subject to availability, so you'll want to secure them as soon as you know your dates and can do so up to 120 days ahead of time. If you are traveling for multiple days, you can either make the reservations one day at a time as they open up or wait for your full window to be open and make them all at once. The general rule of Disney thumb is to book early and change them later if you need to!
While we're at it, let's put a little mouse hat on your calendar 60 days ahead of your arrival, which would be mid-April. This is when
dining reservations and dessert and dining packages for
Fantasmic! and
World of Color will open up to you! These tend to go quickly, so logging in and being ready to book is a good idea! While timing on when reservations open up can change, generally speaking, is it around 6 a.m. Disneyland time (PST).
Louise, so much magic awaits! If you choose to stay at a Disneyland Resort Hotel, you'll even get a few
pixie-dusted perks that include Early Entry, in-park purchase package delivery, and preferred dining access to some coveted restaurants! Plus, you'll be staying in the magic ... and what could be better than that?
See ya real soon!
Tara