We all love a great hotel deal, right? When planning a Disney vacation, we always seem to ask ourselves: how do I find deals on Walt Disney World Hotels?! Lucky for you, we have some top tips on how to score the best deals on Walt Disney World hotels! Whether you're looking for value accommodations or top-tier deluxe villas, we'll walk you through our favorite methods of finding the right hotel at the right cost.
With so many sites claiming to have the best discounts on hotels, it's sometimes hard to know what's legit and what's not! Our guide will break down different ways of scoring top deals so that you can decide which one is right for you. We'll even include an overview of the Walt Disney World resorts to give you a starting point.
So, keep reading our guide on finding the best deals on Walt Disney World hotels!
Planning a Disney World Vacation?
Get exclusive access to prices on hotel & tickets just for Mickey Visit subscribers. Don't miss our travel hacks newsletter!
Disney World Hotel Discounts Overview
The Walt Disney World resort has lots of greatly themed resorts for you to enjoy. They come in all shapes and sizes that offer unique characteristics and pros and cons. While it can be a bit overwhelming to understand them all, perhaps using Disney's classification system to chunk them out into smaller categories makes sense.
Disney classifies their hotels into 4 major categories:
- Value Resorts ($$)
- No-frill resorts that offer all of the basic essentials, including pools, food court, and transportation. As an example, check out our review of one of Disney's best value resorts here!
- Moderate Resorts ($$$)
- These resorts are a step up and include more amenities such as restaurants, specialty dining, and more variety in the types of accommodations. To see how we've ranked the moderate hotels, check out our take here!
- Deluxe Resorts ($$$$)
- Deluxe resorts are high-end experiences and offer luxurious theming, fine dining, character dining, and elaborate decor. Check out our review of one Disney's most popular deluxe resort!
- Deluxe Villa Resorts ($$$$)
- Deluxe villas are located on deluxe resort properties so they share the same amenities. The difference here is that these rooms are typically larger and can include more bedrooms and kitchens. We'll share more on these types of rooms later as they can be a great money-saving option!
As you can see, they are categorized based on price point and amenities offered. Value resorts will be your basic, but still nice, hotel while deluxe resorts will be the crème de la crème that offer luxurious Disney experiences. Therefore, when looking for your hotel, it might be helpful to think about what you are hoping to have in your hotel experience. From there, you can narrow down your focus.
Deals on Walt Disney World Hotels: Partnering with a Travel Agency
Our first recommendation for securing a deal on a Walt Disney World hotel is to work with a reputable travel agency that can help make sure you don't lose out on any potential deals. Typically, these agencies are completely free and work with you to make sure you have the perfect Disney vacation you've always dreamed of!
On top of finding you the best deals out there, a trusted travel agent will help you:
- work directly with the destination so that you don't have to lift a finger
- identify and reserve top dinner reservations
- secure flexible reservations that often come with refunds and cancellations that regular purchases won't
- stay on top of your itinerary by providing support from the moment you make contact to the moment you return home and unpack
Once again, did I mention that this is all FREE?! There really is no downside to working with a travel agent. While some might think travel agents are a thing of the past, believe us when we say that these aren't the travel agencies your grandparents worked with! Today, travel agents understand the complexities of a Disney vacation and know exactly what type of things to look out for.
They can book all of the best Disney World discounts and they provide complimentary VIP service.
Our recommendation for the best travel partner is our friends at Get Away Today. Get Away Today hosts a team of experts that will find the best deals and discounts to maximize your next Disney vacation! They will put together a FREE quote that includes the lowest price you'll find on hotel accommodations! The best part? You don't have to do anything other than share with your guide what you're looking for. Their concierge team is on the ground and ready to make the most of your trip. Plus, they'll even get you the best ticket deals out there at a lower price than you'd pay at the main gate!
If we were to mention any downsides to using a travel partner it's that you won't be able to make any changes to your reservation. You'd need to contact your agent who will take care of all of that for you. However, if you're someone who doesn't have time to juggle all the details this should be no problem!
Deals on Walt Disney World Hotels: Online Travel Sites
Our next recommendation on how to find the best Walt Disney World hotel deals is one you may not have thought about: online travel search engines! That's right, believe it or not, there are ways to score some serious discounts on hotel stays by using those online travel search engines that you see tons of commercials for on TV! We're talking about sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc. The caveat here is that it's not necessarily all online travel search all the time. The key here is to find the sites that are currently offering stays at Walt Disney World and start from there.
Secret Room Deals
Secret rooms deals are booking made online on travel search engines where you don't know the name of the hotel you're booking until after you have paid for your booking. I know that seems terrifying! However, we've got some hints to make sure you are booking a Walt Disney World resort just like you would through the Disney site.
It goes without saying that these prices come at the cost of losing all control. In order for this to work for you, you have to be OK not knowing what you're going to get and simply rolling with it. The other downside is that these deals are typically last minute and not usually available with a lot of anticipation. The upside is that you could score some deep discounts by saving up to 65% off! Savings will depend on the time of year you choose to travel as well as the type of resort.
Sample Secret Room Search
For our guide, we found that the best way to score these deals is by using Hotwire.com. Here's how to do it!
- When searching through Hotwire, the first thing you'll want to do is search the Walt Disney World Resort area. It will automatically show that as the first option. Select your dates and it will begin to show you the available properties.
- Then the fun begins. At this stage, you'll want to narrow down your search location to “Bonnet Creek” and “Disney Springs” areas. All of the Walt Disney World resorts are located in either of these two areas.
- The list you'll then see will include hotels that are star rated and that show the available amenities. Unfortunately, it has gotten harder to know how these amenities correspond with hotels as they tend to be very general.
- Another way to narrow it down is to look at the star rating a 4 or 4.5-star hotel will typically be a deluxe resort, 3.5 stars for moderates, and 3 stars for value resorts. Of these, you can expect resorts like Coronado Springs, All-Star Resorts, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. Again, it's a bit of a lottery here, but at least you know you'd be staying on Walt Disney World property.
So, while we admit that this is somewhat of an unconventional method of securing a hotel deal, it can work for you if you have no worries about losing all control and simply letting the Disney magic lead you to your next magical hotel adventure!
Deals on Walt Disney World Hotels: DVC Point Rentals
This is where it starts to get really fun! Remember earlier we mentioned deluxe villa accommodations? This is where that kicks in!
For those not familiar with villa accommodations, we have to start with the basics. Villa accommodations are rooms that are part of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). DVC is Disney's signature timeshare program that allows members to purchase points that they can use for deluxe villa accommodations at a fraction of the price. Villas accommodations come in studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, or 3-bedroom grand villa sizes. These rooms are larger than typical hotel rooms and come with more luxurious amenities such as living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchen spaces. How to Rent DVC Points
We've got a complete guide on how to rent DVC points, so for this guide, we won't focus on every last detail. Instead, we'll simply focus on how it's done and even get to see some sample pricing to better understand the discounts here!
The first step is to find a trusted company that rents out member DVC points to the general public. That's right, you don't have to be a DVC member to take advantage of this amazing program!
Our recommendation for the best place to rent DVC points is through our friends at the DVC Rental Store and David's DVC Rental. Both of these companies are reputable and safe companies that we know will offer you terrific service as well as those important deep discounts! With hundreds of listings each day, you're bound to find the perfect reservation by working with them!
Once you have found your trusted travel partner, all you need to do is work with your guide and let them know what you're looking for! From there, they will search for what you need and the best part is that you'll be paying less for more! If you're curious to see a sample trip, let's take a look!
Sample Point Rental Trip
Let's say for example you're looking for a 6-night stay at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort in a one-bedroom for a family of four. We'll use the dates of October 15th through the 21st, 2023.
If you check out the DVC Rental Store, you'll see that they have priced these dates in a one-bedroom deluxe villa at $3,864.
Now, if we were to book this same accommodation through Disney, they would quote you a price of $7,246.
This means if you chose to book through The DVC Rental Store, you'd be saving $3,400! Wow!
As you can see, it's a no-brainer here. Renting DVC points is a fantastic way of getting more for less. Plus, you would still get all of the perks of staying on property. You would feel no difference on your trip!
List of Walt Disney World Resorts
To simplify, we've listed the different resorts on Walt Disney World property:
- Value Resorts
- Moderate Resorts
- Deluxe Resorts
- Deluxe Villas
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney's BoardWalk Villas
- Disney's Riviera Resort
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney's Beach Club Villas
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Lodge
- Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney Vacation Club Discounts For Disney Hotels
In a similar vein, we'd be remiss to not mention more about the Disney Vacation Club as a fabulous way to save money. While the initial buy-in to the program can be hefty, it's intended to be a large amount of saving throughout the life of your deeded contract.
The only catch here in making this a sound financial decision is if you know you're going to want to travel to a Disney experience at least once every few years. In the long run, you'll end up saving a lot more money than paying rack rate for your resort stays. It might be worth checking out the various different DVC resorts and seeing for yourself if this is what you know you'll want for years to come.
If you're interested in learning more about the DVC program in general, be sure to check out our guide to Disney Vacation Club here!
Deals on Walt Disney World Hotels: Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are lots of ways to score some major deals on your Walt Disney World hotel. Your homework is to simply decide which of these routes you're comfortable with and let that guide your way forward. We know Disney vacations can be costly, so it's important for us to share with you as many of the secret tips as we can! At the end of the day, it'll feel great to be on your magical Disney vacation knowing you paid less!
Plan Your Next Disney Vacation!
If you're ready to plan your next Disney vacation, let us do all the work for you! Our team of experts is standing by to prepare you with a FREE quote with all of the information you need to have a wonderful Disney vacation. With years of experience, we know exactly what to recommend and can guarantee you the lowest prices around. Plus, we'll work with you every step of the way so you don't have to worry about missing a thing! If you're curious to learn more, check out our other guides here:
- Disney Beach Club Resort Review- Walt Disney World Disney Vacation Club
- Animal Kingdom Lodge Review DVC Villas Jambo House PLUS Money Saving Hack for Deluxe Resorts
- Hollywood Studios Breakfast- Best Breakfast Walt Disney World
- Animal Kingdom Breakfast Options 2024: The Good, Average, and Unusual
- DVC Rental Store vs Davids Rentals: Which Is Better For Disney Vacation Club Rentals?
Planning a Disney Vacation? Get Exclusive Discounts + Free Bonuses
In addition to exclusive discounts for Mickey Visit subscribers, get our free planning printable and guide to make your life SO much easier.
