Hi Rachael!
Thanks for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I'm excited to help you with your question because I love saving money JUST as much as I love Walt Disney World!
In general,
Special Offers including ones that may include a free Disney Dining Plan are usually announced a few months in advance of travel times. For some of us who love to plan our vacations a year or two in advance, that can make it a little difficult to predict. When this happens, I try to look at discounts for a similar time of year and budget a little bit extra to account for price increases. Of course, this year is a bit abnormal - with travel changes and restrictions, things are much more difficult to predict. It may still be the best way to come up with a ball-park budget, though.
The good news is that Walt Disney World is almost always able to apply a newly announced discount to an existing reservation if you can be a bit flexible. This means if you decide to book your vacation soon and a new
Special Offer is announced at a later date, you can call and modify your reservation to take advantage of the savings. Most times you can apply this directly to your current reservation, or if your resort isn't available with the discount, you can choose to modify your resort or room type. Disney Cast Members are experts at working on these types of changes so they'll be able to help quickly and easily!
Personally, I like to have my next Walt Disney World vacation on the calendar so that I have something to look forward to! It helps me have some Magic to think about while I wait. A great place to help you keep on top of the Magic and pass the time is at the
Disney Parks Blog. I love to see the latest news and announcements. Plus, they offer fun ways to incorporate a little bit of Walt Disney World into my daily life, like learning
How to Draw Mickey Mouse!
I hope this helps! Don't hesitate to reach back out to us if we can help you with any other planning details!
Kathie