Between choosing a hotel, which parks to visit and which restaurants to eat at, it’s not uncommon to begin planning a trip to Walt Disney World a year or more in advance. If you’ve been (impatiently) waiting for Disney World to release 2026 hotel and ticket packages so you can book your vacation, the wait is finally over.
Beginning April 22, Disney World will release tickets, hotel reservations and vacation packages through Oct. 31, 2026. Pricing and availability for November and December 2026 visits will be released later this year.
Related: These are the best times to visit Disney World in 2025
The upper limit for ticket prices will remain the same as 2025, with one-day tickets ranging between $119 and $199 per day. Disney’s Animal Kingdom remains the least expensive park, and the Magic Kingdom still holds the top spot as the priciest. You’ll generally find the cheapest one-day tickets in August and September.
To help you plan, TPG has a guide that explains how to find the cheapest days to visit Disney World.
Regardless of when you plan to visit Disney World in 2026, a couple of exciting new discounts can help you save money on your next visit.
Kids dine free in 2026
Throughout 2026, guests who purchase an eligible hotel and ticket package can add a free Disney Dining Plan for their kids (ages 3 to 9) when they purchase a dining plan as part of their vacation package for their other party members (ages 10 and up). This discount can save you hundreds of dollars on food costs during your vacation and take away some of the stress of budgeting for meals and snacks.
Related: Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it? We put it to the test
With a Disney Dining Plan, you are prepaying for a specified number of meals and snacks during your vacation. You’ll receive an allotment of meal and snack “credits” to use during your stay, based on the length of your trip. You aren’t required to redeem a set number of meals and snacks daily; you can use them anytime during your stay and track the remaining credits in the My Disney Experience app.
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If you purchase a Disney Dining Plan at the regular price, we recommend determining whether you will spend enough on food to cover the plan’s cost. But when you get the Disney Dining Plan for free, it’s a much easier decision.
Usually, free Disney dining is only available with nondiscounted hotel and ticket vacation packages. But this time, Disney shared that you can combine this offer with other special offers to help you save even more.
You can get all the details and begin booking your vacation with this special offer starting April 22.
Free summertime water park entry on your arrival day
For 2026, Disney World is bringing back a popular 2025 perk that grants guests staying in official Disney World hotels free water park entry on their check-in day. Next year, this perk will only be available in the summer months, but, let’s face it, that is when you most need a place to cool off in Central Florida.
The savings can be significant: Tickets to Disney’s water parks usually cost $74 for guests ages 10 and up and $68 for kids ages 3 to 9, not including tax. (Kids under 3 are free at all Disney World parks.)
You don’t need to do anything special to take advantage of this free benefit. It will automatically be added to your account, and you can use your MagicBand, hotel keycard or Disney MagicMobile pass (which you can add to your phone’s wallet using the My Disney Experience app) to enter one of Disney’s water parks as soon as you arrive at the resort.
TPG’s tips for saving money on your Disney World vacation
There are a few more ways to save money on your Disney World vacation, no matter when you visit.
Disney World offers several hotel discounts and vacation package deals throughout the year. If even discounted Disney World hotel prices are out of your budget, there are several hotels in the Disney Springs area with rates under $100 per night.
FOR NO-COST ASSISTANCE WITH PLANNING AND BOOKING YOUR NEXT DISNEY VACATION, CHECK OUT TPG’S DISNEY BOOKING PARTNER, MOUSE COUNSELORS.
Or, if you have one of our favorite cards for booking Disney vacations, you can offset a portion of your vacation cost by redeeming points or travel credits.
You can also save by booking your vacation through an authorized Disney vacation planner. Not only will they do the hard work of choosing a hotel, purchasing tickets and making dining reservations for you, but they will also keep an eye out for any applicable discounts until the beginning of your trip.
Bottom line
These discounts and benefits are in addition to the other benefits of staying at a Disney World hotel. Disney Resort hotel guests can enter any of Disney’s theme parks 30 minutes before the posted opening time each day and enjoy complimentary parking and transportation to all of Disney’s theme parks.
Plus, guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts can enjoy extra nighttime hours in a specific park on select nights with the benefit of Disney’s extended evening hours.
Disney confirmed that all of these perks will continue through 2026.
You can book your 2026 Disney World vacation starting April 22 for travel dates through October 2026. Or, if you can’t wait until next year, Disney has several 2025 discounts still available right now.
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