Whether or not you’re a Disney World expert, it’s never a bad idea to get caught up with the latest trends and tips!
Welcome to Disney World!
We visit Disney World every day, and sometimes we even spend the night! We’ve gotten pretty familiar with all of the Disney World hotels over the years, and that’s led us to accumulate some pretty great tips — including ways to save money during your stay!
Depending on the length of your stay, you should be ready to shell out some serious dough when it comes to staying at a Disney World hotel. With that said, there are actually several ways you can save a few bucks and — in some cases — hundreds of dollars.
Grand Floridian
Stay at a Good Neighbor Hotel
While Disney owns MANY hotels on property, they also partner with local hotels in the area. These hotels are lovingly referred to as Good Neighbor Hotels.
©Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando
These hotels will generally be much more inexpensive than the Disney-owned ones, and many of them still give you park perks like Early Entry and transportation.
Swan and Dolphin Hotels
One of our absolute favorites is the Swan and Dolphin Resort, which offers a prime location near the parks, fantastic dining options, park perks, and a lovely stay overall.
Apply Deals After Purchasing
You’ve locked in your vacation package and now you’re done planning, right? Not so fast, my friends!
Cinderella Castle
If you have an existing Disney World reservation, you can still add on new deals, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on what’s being offered.
First, check the check the special offers on the Disney World website regarding places to stay. Review the offers and make sure your stay qualifies, and then follow the prompts to apply the offer to your reservation. You will likely need to log into your My Disney Experience account to modify the reservation.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Island Tower
Be advised that adding a deal could affect what you initially wanted to do with your reservation. Some deals apply to certain rooms or hotels. If you have any questions, concerns, or issues, give Disney World a call and a Cast Member can assist you.
Stay Close to the Parks
Before selecting a hotel, do a little bit of homework and see which hotels are close to the theme parks. Disney World is spread out, so each hotel will have ideal proximity to certain parks and unfortunate distance to others.
Fireworks deck at California Grill
You should also get familiar with the transportation offered at each resort. We recommend staying at hotels that are closer or more accessible to parks you plan on spending the most time at.
Monorail at the Contemporary Resort
Why? Time is money, and you will get the most out of your vacation if you’re not spending an uncomfortable amount of time traveling.
Take Advantage of the Disney Visa
If you’re a Disney Visa Cardmember, you can get hotel deals! Cardmembers can use the Disney Rewards Redemption Card at select restaurants, retail and hotel locations at Disney Resorts all over the country.
©Disney
Disney Visa Cardmembers can also get several hotel perks such as discounts on room rates in addition to savings on dining and merch.
©Disney
At Disney World, Cardmembers can save up to 30-35% on select rooms. At Disneyland, they can save 30% on select premium rooms at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa or the Disneyland Hotel during specific booking periods. Cardmembers can also save 35% off select rooms at the Aulani Resort & Spa.
Rent DVC Points
If you’ve ever wanted to live like a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member without paying DVC prices, you can rent points!
DVC Villa at Wilderness Lodge
Many Disney hotels have DVC villas that are essentially timeshares that you can rent if you’re a member or buy points. You can book rooms at DVC hotels directly through Disney, or rent points through a service like David’s Vacation Club Rentals.
Renting points can help you save money and you might end up spending 30-50% LESS than it would cost you to book the room directly through Disney, especially when it comes to studios.
©Disney
Essentially, you’re paying the DVC member to use their points, so you’re costs will naturally be less.
Know When to Go
While Disney World no longer has a true off-season, there are times of the year where it is cheaper to visit.
Empty Hollywood Studios
Typically, you may see lower prices in January, early February, and September. As always, monitor discounts and travel trends to truly stay in the know regarding the best times to visit Disney World.
Main Street, U.S.A.
What are some ways you save money on your Disney World hotel stays? Let us know in the comments and continue to follow us here at DFB for more Disney World tips!
CONFESSION TIME: Two of My Favorite Disney Hotels AREN’T Disney Hotels
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These are great tips – I will add some emphasis to make sure that you know what the trade-offs may be of any given choice. Even staying on property at a ‘less busy’ time of year can mean that rides or other amenities/features that are important to you might not be available. Staying off property, even at a good neighbor hotel, or renting DVC points (while GREAT money savers) might have catches that you aren’t expecting. Just make sure you are aware of ‘how it works’ in all respects, or at least the ones that are most important to you.
We’ve been with DVC for 15 years with Bay Lake Tower as our “home.” When it’s just the two of us, a park-facing studio is perfect. When we bring the family, a 2-bedroom flat meets our needs. I book as soon as the window (11 months) opens and we always get what we want. It’s great.