If you know what you want, you can go ahead & book now. If any kind of discount comes out, you can always try & apply it. Are you a member of
AAA? That is one of the best ways to get a discount.
As far as packages, it depends on what you are interested in. Are you considering the dining plan? You can only get it WITH a package deal. The only way to get the dining plan and still get a discount on your room rate is to book thru AAA. Unless, of course, some code is released. Keeping tabs here & at mousesavers.com would be the best way to learn about discount codes.
If you don't want dining, I think it is almost always cheaper to book things separately. I think the best deal on tickets is to sign up for the mousesavers newsletter (mousesavers.com). The monthly letter always contains a link to discounted tickets from ticketmania.com & the price seems to beat any other.
Discounts for room-only are generally: AAA, AP (annual passholder), general public codes, Florida resident codes.
One last tip is to sign up for everything Disney. There are tips for this on mousesavers as well. The idea is to get on their "list" to receive pin codes thru email or postcard. No one knows exactly how people are selected to receive these codes, but signing up for this stuff seems to help.
Good luck with your planning &

to the Dis!